Hush Little Baby [Hardcover]

Sylvia Long (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to show you a hummingbird.
If that hummingbird should fly,
Mama's going to show you the evening sky.
From award-winning artist Sylvia Long comes a touching version of the well-known lullaby, Hush Little Baby. Each spread reveals a tender scene as a mama bunny lulls her baby bunny to sleep by enlisting a parade of bedtime wonders—the beauty of a hummingbird in flight; the magic of a harvest moon; the reassurance of a parent's hug, all these and more combine to create a classic volume sure to be treasured for generations to come.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to show you a hummingbird.
If that hummingbird should fly,
Mama's going to show you the evening sky."

Sylvia Long's award-winning (Child Magazine's Best of 1997) ode to mother-child love takes a favorite lullaby and makes it--is it possible?--even better. Troubled by the buy-buy-buy mentality of the original ("Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird/diamond ring/a dog named Rover..."), Long adapts the song to her--and our--liking. Mama now shows her baby the comforting wonders of the world: crickets, shooting stars, warm bedspreads. Long's gorgeous ink and watercolor paintings are reminiscent of Clement Hurd's illustrations in Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon. And now, with this gift set, fans of this sweet lullaby can have a "little baby" bunny all their own, along with a small board book edition of their sing-along favorite! The unbelievably soft plush rabbit rattle is curved into a shape and size just right for tiny hands. Wrap the cuddly pajama-clad bunny around a crib railing so your baby can always reach it. What a perfect gift for the new mother or mother-to-be! (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 3-6 "Bothered" by what she sees as the materialism of the original song, Long has reworked a familiar lullabye: "Hush Little Baby, don't say a word, / Mama's going to show you a hummingbird." While her retelling stands on its own, it's the artwork that shines here. Long's beautiful ink-and-watercolor paintings are richly colored and realistically detailed. The right page of the spread focuses on the tender and loving relationship between Mama and her baby bunny. Surrounded by borders that resemble quilt stitches, the left side of the spread features a smaller picture that either highlights denizens of the natural world--a cricket, a lightning bug, a harvest moon--or the objects found in the child's cozy bedroom. A lovely book. Julie Corsaro

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811814165
• ISBN-13: 978-0811814164
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Rabbits

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This bedtime story book holds Mom's attention too!, March 30, 2000

By 

Christy Bonham (Springville, Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hush Little Baby Boxed Set (Hardcover)

This is one of our top ten bedtime stories for our preschool children. It is the discovery of beauty and love as a mother guides her child on a bedtime trek from the porch, to the rocking chair, to the bed. It is a warm and sensitive version of the "mockingbird" Hush Little Baby lullaby. My children don't ask me for a mockingbird, a diamond ring, looking glass, etc. and so that original version seems outdated. Hooray for Sylvia Long...this book reflects a new time and a new generation of parents. She has done an excellent job in creating a book that shows a mother's love and the security of having many options at your fingertips that enrich your life (or in this book make you drift off in contented sleep). Younger children enjoy having a book read to them time after time (moreso than the parents enjoy the reading of it). It seems that with Hush Little Baby I find new details in the artwork each reading and even I havn't tired of it yet. Every page is warm and cozy and filled with nature or cuddles or quilts or bears..all things little children can relate to. I love the individual stitching around the illustrations - a different one each time you turn the page. A negative noteworthy comment (made by three of my children)is that at times the bunnys' ears are very short and seem catlike. Overall I would say this is a must in a childrens' home library!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story/song, March 30, 2000

By 

"qpk" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hush Little Baby Boxed Set (Hardcover)

"Hush Little Baby" is a wonderful story/song. My three year-old daughter and I love to sing it together at night. The pictures are colorful and realistic with a lot of attention to detail. My daughter knows the story/song better than me! This would make a wonderful baby/birthday gift for children from birth and up.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An ageless lullaby, May 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hush Little Baby (Hardcover)

While many of the wonders of this book are quite obvious upon first reading, it is what occurs after numerous readings that is so rewarding. No longer is it we, our two year old's mother and father reading to her, it is she, our child, reading to us. She points out the various characters, identifies them by name, asks us if we see what she sees, and ultimately, rests her head on her pillow humming words from this wonderful book that should become a staple in every house.